


How to Handle a Nightmare

by Enchanters Nightshade (Abstract_Apotheosis)



Series: The Domestic (Mis)Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Devorak [2]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cheesy, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Ends a little steamy, F/M, Healthy Relationships, Mentions of Sex, Nightmares, Post upright game ending, Starts a little angsty, Two overly smart nerds, hints at nudity, who read books because BOOKS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-18 01:07:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21602683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abstract_Apotheosis/pseuds/Enchanters%20Nightshade
Summary: Julian still gets nightmares. Luckily for him, his wife has gotten pretty good at making sure she's there. Teasing ensues later and, well, she's not about to make a liar out of him~
Relationships: Apprentice & Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak
Series: The Domestic (Mis)Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Devorak [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556962
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	How to Handle a Nightmare

The cool night's breeze that came through the window was a welcome visitor for her. Propped up with pillows, one hand lazily rubbing her slumbering husband's back and her dog curled up in the small space against her side that her husband _wasn't_ , Odelia was a little too warm. Unlike Julian who she swore ran fridged (the only time his skin was warm or even hot was when she had him a flushed, mewling mess), she ran warm. So a little cool air as she was tucked between two bodies, reading from her book, was greatly welcomed.

Julian was wrapped around her, using her chest as his pillow and his arms wrapped around her loosely. She used her husband's shoulder to rest the spine of the book, temporarily abandoning rubbing his back as she turned the page. The room was dark, save the little glow of magic that she was using to read. The atmosphere was pleasant and she appreciated the quietness of the moment. Julian fidgeted. She pressed a little more firmly against the flesh of his back while continuing to rub it.

"Shh shh shhhhh." Odelia hushed calmly. He was entering the cycle of sleep when dreams took place. If she peered down, off the inked words of her pages and at her husband's sleeping face, she'd be able to see how his eyes moved in rapid succession under his eyelids. Things had been getting better, but her husband still had a tendency to have nightmares.

He whimpered a bit, his face digging a little further into the valley of her naked breasts. She closed her book, the glow of the magic disappearing immediately and enveloping the room into darkness, and she slid with a little effort further down into the bedding until her freckled cheek rested upon the top of her husband's auburn locks and his face was buried into the nape of her neck. She held him gently as he wriggled distraughtly.

Nightmare. She tsked, her eyes narrowing at the idea that her husband had to endure yet another one. Julian was getting better, but it didn't mean things like this vanished without a trace for good. She rubbed his back with one hand and petted at his hair with the other. Lady's head rose, awakened by an unintentional kick of Julian's long legs and she got up, moving over them _without_ stepping on either of her humans, and resettled herself against Julian's lower back, head resting on his waist.

For a while, with a few hushed words of 'I'm here' and 'you're dreaming Juli', he seemed to settle down. The moon was high in the sky at that point but it was still a ways away from when her regular sleeping habits began. She reached behind her to grope around for her discarded book when her husband gasped, spasming as he woke. She grabbed him, securing him, before he could roll over their dog and out of the bed. Lady fled her spot out of experience, on to the floor before he could accidentally crush her again.

"Juli." She said firmly as he continued to flail in panic. "Julian- you were dreaming."

She snatched his arm as he tried to withdraw backwards. He was not toppling out of the bed again. He had bruises for days last time when he had knocked into their bookshelf and everything had toppled onto him (she had moved the whole bookshelf elsewhere but _still_. Julian had a talent for finding things to knock into). She rolled on top of him, pinning him so his mind could catch up with his body's instinctive flight response.

" _Julian_." She nearly shouted that one and he froze. His chest heaving and he was covered in a cold sweat. His mismatched eyes were now looking into hers, _seeing her now_ , and after a few beats, his face crumpled up and he began to sob. She released his wrists with a heavy sigh as she calmly rested on top of him, hands holding each side of his face.

"Oh, my precious Julian. I promise you, it was only a dream." Odelia murmured quietly, as comforting as she could.

His arms flew around her, locking her into his hold as he rolled the two of them to the side and clung to her like a lifeline. He was still shaking, sobbing into her ear as he buried his face into her hair. Her arms reached behind him to rub at his back and cradle his head, running her hand up and down through his hair soothingly. Lady was hopping back onto the bed and lying against him again. She licked at his skin, the comforter now pooled around his waist. Vaguely, she could hear the birds downstairs and the nervous cries of their fox from her habitat, but they were only reacting to Julian. She worked on soothing him.

She felt the barest of pressure on her arm, somewhere where Julian was not touching her, and she glanced up to see her cat peering down at her with his one golden eye. He removed his paw and proceed to nestle behind Julian's neck. Julian jolted a bit.

"It's just Sebby." Julian nodded his understanding, but didn't try to say anything through his sobs, though some of the tension in his body seemed to melt a little at the admission. Normally the cat liked to lounge behind Odelia's head while she slept, being as skittish as he was. He was still warming up to Julian who _badly_ wanted the cat to like him- as he did with all her pets.

She didn't force him to talk about it. She didn't hush at him to quiet his cries. She simply held him, whispering at times for him to cry and praising how good, how kind, how gentle he was. Her dear, sweet husband. Eventually, his sobs trickled down to weak whimpers and sniffles, his body loosening as he calmed down.

"Better?" She whispered. Her eyes were getting heavy. It was almost time for her to fall asleep, it seemed. She didn't need as much sleep as most people, but when it came time _to_ sleep, she was like clockwork.

He nodded into her hair, not quite up for talking at the moment. He was still coming down and had a tendency to start up again if he tried to talk. He was still sniffling and there were a few hiccups hitching his breathing still despite there being no signs of him still crying.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. That was fine, she reassured herself. As long as he felt better and was calming down. They could talk later. Not everything had to be discussed then and there.

"Hon, I'm about ready to fall asleep. Do you need me to stay up?"

Another shake. Julian was an adult and he had learned to ask for help. If he needed it, she trusted he'd wake her for it.

"Okay. Are you going back to sleep?"

Another shake. Again, fine. She reminded herself. He had more sleep than he used to and, after nightmares, he usually was too shaken to try for a while afterwards.

"Okay. Are you going to get up? I'd rather you didn't."

Half-shrug. He wasn't sure himself. She hoped he didn't. He tended to try to go for walks and leave for hours and a few times she had to go find _him_ and he wasn't at any of his usual haunts and she _searched_ for _hours_ and _was starting to panic at that point and_ \- she preferred him not to get up.

"Okay. Well, for now, are you comfortable as you are?"

A nod. Good. That was good. Best second best affirmation that night!

"There's a book behind me, should be right in front of you and _easily_ in your reach. Feel free to read it." She told him, shuffling a bit as she made herself more comfortable. It wasn't hard. Julian was a comfortable, cuddly spoon.

He was reaching to grab the book. Another good response, though only a consolation prize because she'd rather him sleeping.

"Do you remember the glow spell I taught you?"

She closed her eyes shortly after a faint glow lit up behind her and the quiet sounds of a book being opened and pages turned. It made her chest feel bright with pride.

"Look at my good husband! Capable of science, magic, and _everything_. You're so talented."

He fidgeted at her compliment and she knew his face was pink without even having to look. It was nice that some things were always constants despite poor conditions.

"You'll wake me if you need me?"

He gave a slow nod.

" _Promise_?"

He heaved a heavy, shaky breath and nodded.

Her eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. "Good, darling husband. I love you."

" _Mph_ … love you…" The words were quiet, but there, warming her heart.

"Night."

He rubbed her back as her consciousness slipped from the realm of the waking.

* * *

He had gotten up sometime in the night. She could tell. BUT! He had returned to bed and cuddled back up to her. His head was resting on her sternum, arms wrapped around her waist loosely with book still in hand, and her leg tucked between his thighs. The blankets and comforter were once again wrapped up around them, Sebby was back to his usual spot as was Lady, and, ah, the window was closed.

"You okay?" She mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hmm." The tone was positive. She took it was a sign that he wasn't quite up for talking, but he surprised her. "What in the _world_ have I been reading, _zaika_?"

She laughed, glad to hear his voice calm and steady, perhaps a little pensive and withdrawn but there. "What's wrong with it?"

He closed the book, thumb still secure between the pages he was currently at, to appraise at the book's cover. "To begin with, the title of the book is 'A Long Yarn about Wool'." She erupted into a fit of giggles.

"And yet you're still reading it!" She pointed out, trying to smother her giggles. He pressed a sharp nip to her valley, rubbing his nose against her soft skin where the gentle swell of her breast began. His ear pressed up against the other one as his head laid on her upper torso

"This is what you were reading, _zaika_." He told her, flustered. "This is what you offered me! It's not like the bookshelf is by the bed anymore."

"But you- _haha_ \- got up and - _hehehe_ \- closed the window!" She was still laughing at him between words.

He harrumphed at her, making her laugh even more. "I got cold! And Lady had decided to wash me and that made me _colder_ and Sebby tried to help her by cleaning my face with that sandpaper tongue of his-"

" _Awe_." She cooed and almost instantly sobered up at that admission, reaching back to stroke at Sebby's tortoiseshell patterned fur. "He let you pet him?"

"... _yes_ …" Julian blushed a little, not as put out by the other actions as he pretended to be. "A-anyways. I closed the window and piled the blankets back over us. No time for books that are _way_ over there."

"I'm not moving it back, Julian."

He heaved a sigh. "Mph." He would argue his case later, she knew, but for now he chose to drop it in favor of his curiosity being sated. "Why are you reading a book about wool?"

"Why does anyone read books, my darling?" She teased him, leaning down to press a kiss to his head. He grunted his dissatisfaction, opening up the book again to continue reading. It wasn't even light outside.

Deciding she had teased him enough, she answered his initial question. "Because it's on my list of things to read and try. You know me, jack of all trades, master of none."

"Master of none? Rubbish. You master anything you put your mind to- which is a _lot_."

She petted his hair affectionately at his words. "My husband is such a flatterer! Teasing his poor wife with such embellished praise."

"' _Flatterer_ '? ' ** _Embellished_** '?" He snapped the book shut, abandoning it where it fell. The dim glow of his magic that had lit up the corner of the room remained though as he swiftly pulled himself up to hover over her smaller frame. Hands resting on both sides of her head as he pressed his forehead to hers so he could stare into her wide, alluring orange eyes. "My darling wife, humility of this degree does not color you pretty." He leaned in closer, his lips ghosting across hers and he rubbed their noses together.

"Oh?" She whispered breathlessly, her arms slowly creeping up to wrap around her neck as she rubbed the smooth skin of her calf between his inner thighs. "I thought people preferred it when savants like me downplayed their talents."

"You make yourself out to be less than you are. You make me out to be a _liar_ , _zaika_." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll have you know, I _don't_ lie about _my_ _wife_."

"I wouldn't want to make a liar of my husband, I suppose." She said with a teasing grin, bending her leg upwards and putting delightful pressure on him with her lower thigh. "What sort of wife would I be then?"

His breath hitched, his throat bobbed visibly, a brilliant flush lighting his features handsomely in the glow of his magic. He was chewing on his lip as he began fought the urge to pant.

" _Hmmmm_ ~." He whimpered a bit, biting harder on his lip, swallowing thickly one more time. His eyes screwed shut as she stirred up passion within him. Odelia's lips turned. Her impish, lopsided smile appearing as she pressed her thigh up harder.

"I've heard _you_ say that your wife is quite the acrobat in bed." She spoke lowly in a sultry tone. "That she knows _all_ the right spots that leave you a quivering mess, keening and mewling out the _prettiest_ of noises. That she leaves you _very_ satisfied; limbs shaky for _hours_ later in the aftermath."

Julian whined low and long, his arms quivering as he fought to not collapse on top of his wife, but her arms were now dancing skillfully against his warming skin, coming to rest on his shoulders. She flipped them over, sitting upright and straddling his waist. She placed her weight purposely on his arousal with her back arching forward as she leaned down to whisper into his ear.

"Best not make those lies, hm? Dear husband?"

His magic's soft glowing light extinguished immediately afterwards, the room being overtaken by the early morning's darkness.

* * *

Doctor Devorak was _very_ late to his clinic next door that day. If his clients noticed how unsteady and clumsy he was on his legs when he had to stand or walk, none of them, mercifully, mentioned it.

**Author's Note:**

> Zaika- bunny (I will admit now, this one and myshka- little mouse- would be the main two favorite pet names of Julian's. For reasons revealed eventually)
> 
> I really don't know how I got from 'oh no a nightmare' to 'Oh boi it's getting kinda steamy'.
> 
> I'm writing these mostly for myself, but I figured I'd share them. I am working on a more story centric take on the actual plot- sorta. Using these one-shots to figure out how the two of them would eventually fit together and testing out ideas.
> 
> I've dropped hints about it, but I'll just state it now. Odelia is a genius. And she is well aware of it, but she is also socially and empathetically aware enough to know people don't appreciate how blunt she can be about it and tries to not rub it in people's faces. She knows it's rude. But her mind is too fast at times and she can get very bored and it can cause problems. It's one of the reasons she and Julian get along well, seeing as Julian is very brilliant himself, despite how bad his judgement calls outside of his fields of expertise can be at times.
> 
> I am open to suggestions for my one-shots.
> 
> Let me know how you think I'm doing or what you like about what was done. Helpful feedback is always welcome.


End file.
